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THE 

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REGULATIONS 

O F 


MILITARY INSTITUTIONS 


APPLIED TO THE 


CONDUCT 


COMMON SCHOOLS. 


B Y 


/ 

FRANCIS H. SMITH, A.M., 


SUPERINTENDENT OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. 


V 


NEW YORK 


161 BROADWAY t AND 13 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. 









Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by 

FRANCIS H. SMITH, A. M., 

in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. 


/ 




■> 




*' 


CRAIGHEAD, PRINTER &C STEREOTYPE It, 
112 FULTON STREET. 


* 


PREFACE. 


“ Education has reference to the whole man —the body, the mind, 
and the heart; its object, and when rightly conducted, its effect is, to 
make him a complete creature after his kind. To his frame it would 
give vigor, activity, and beauty; to his senses, correctness and acute¬ 
ness ; to his intellect, power and thoughtfulness; to his heart, virtue. 
The educated man is not the gladiator, nor the scholar, nor the up¬ 
right man alone; but a just and well-balanced combination of all 
these. Just as the educated tree is neither the large root, nor the 
giant branches, nor the rich foliage, but all of them together. If you 
would mark the perfect man, you must not look for him in the circus, 
the university, or the church, exclusively, but you must look for one 
who has ‘ mens sana in corpore sano,’ a healthful mind in a health¬ 
ful body. The being in whom you find this union, is the only 
one worthy to be called educated. To make all men such is the 
object of education.”—Fox. 

“ What I want is a man who is a Christian and a gentleman— 
an active man, and one who has common sense, and understands 
boys.”— Dr. Arnold. 

























THE REGULATIONS OF MILITARY INSTITUTIONS 


APPLIED TO THE CONDUCT OF COMMON SCHOOLS. 


The State Cadet graduates of the Virginia Military 
Institute are required by law to discharge, for a limited 
period, the duty of public instruction in the schools of 
the State. The acceptable manner in which this duty 
has been discharged, has directed public attention to the 
Institute, as the source from which teachers are to be 
obtained ; and to such an extent has the demand in¬ 
creased, that it has become an object with most of the 
graduates to seek employment in the profession of teach¬ 
ing. 

The normal character which the law and public expec¬ 
tation have thus given to the Institute, has not only 
controlled, to a great degree, its system of instruction, 
but has made it necessary that specific directions should 
be prepared for those of its graduates who may hereafter 
engage in teaching. 

While the accompanying directions are intended spe¬ 
cially for the graduates of the Virginia Military Institute, 
the system presented is general, and may be readily 
applied by any teacher. Hence many minor details have 


6 


been introduced, which would not be required by the 
graduates ; each one of whom is, of course, familiar with 
the practical workings of the same system in the Insti¬ 
tute. 

It is not the design of the following pages to exhibit 
the views of mere theorists who have written on the art 
of teaching. Adopting the system which has been so 
successfully introduced into the Virginia Military Insti¬ 
tute, as the basis upon which an efficient system of 
instruction and discipline for schools and academies may 
be framed, the design will be to show what modifications 
are necessary for this purpose, and to enforce the views 
which will be presented by arguments derived from actual 
experience. 

It must not, however, be forgotten that no system of 
instruction can be efficient, unless the teacher himself 
possess proper qualifications for his office. Too many 
interests are involved in the education of the young, 
to commit them to those who are not qualified by prin¬ 
ciple and habits for so important a trust. The strength 
of nature or the good sense of a jury may prevent the 
evil effects of mal-practice in medicine or law; but the 
vicious or defective instruction of an immoral or ignorant 
teacher, leaves consequences that are not so easily resisted 
or overcome. 

Let no one, then, take upon himself the office of a 
teacher, until he has well considered its high dignity. 
When he reflects that the physical, intellectual, and moral 
culture of an immortal being is placed in his hands ; that, 
as the clay is moulded by the potter, so may he fashion 
the material of mind, body, and soul, as he will ; that 
his influence in this respect is scarcely inferior to that 




7 


of the parent; surely it will not be thought that his office 
is unduly magnified, when the following points are insisted 
upon, as indispensable requisites for a public teacher. 


I. Moral Qualifications. 

1. The teacher must not only be free from all immoral 
practices , but his influence and habits should be favorable 
to virtue. More is taught by example than precept, and 
the rules of a school will be stripped of much of their 
sanction, if the practices of the teacher be opposed to 
them. The young do not discriminate, with respect to 
age and circumstances, between the teacher and the 
taught; and if they do, they find it difficult to understand 
why a moral rule should not be equally binding upon the 
one as the other. Let the teacher, then, “practise what 
he teaches .” The soldier will follow his commander in 
every duty; he rarely leads. 

2. The teacher should be a gentleman. This qualifica¬ 
tion implies a disuse of all coarse and vulgar language, 
and a strict conformity, in manners, to all the rules of 
courtesy and politeness which prevail among gentlemen. 

3. The teacher should be neat in his person and dress. 
This requisite is implied in the preceding; but it so often 
happens that persons who are gentlemen by birth and 
education, are negligent in this respect, that the special 
attention of the teacher is drawn to it. It may be a 
question whether this direction does not interdict the 
use of tobacco. It certainly does while in the school¬ 
room. 

4. The teacher should possess firmness with gentleness . 
With due allowance for the thoughtlessness and incon- 


8 


sideration of youth, he should be firm in the administra¬ 
tion of his rules, else respect for, and confidence in, him 
will be lost. But it must be remembered that the affec¬ 
tion of a pupil can never be secured by a rude, sullen, 
or overbearing manner, and without this affection the 
influence of the teacher will be greatly impaired. 

5. The teacher should he patient. Some scholars are 
slow in apprehending. The duty of the teacher is to 
labor for, and with them; and not to give way to a petu¬ 
lant or irritable temper, if his teachings do not prove 
effectual at once. Some scholars are wayward, others 
mischievous; but, often as he may be provoked, he must 
bear and forbear, until discipline is necessary, and then 
it should be promptly administered. 

6. The teacher should he uniform in the administration 
of his rules. There is no part of a teacher’s duty so 
much neglected as this. Many teachers govern by 
whims or fancies. To-day, they are severe; to-morrow, 
lenient; and thus they subject themselves to the charge 
of partiality, by punishing an offence at one time which 
is overlooked at another. 

7. The teacher should he intimately acquainted with 
the character of each of his pupils. Success in disci¬ 
pline as well as in instruction depends upon this. 
There is no more fatal error than to suppose that all 
boys must be treated alike. True, the teacher should 
be uniformly kind, forbearing, and firm with all ; but 
different dispositions require different degrees of kind¬ 
ness, forbearance, and firmness. Some boys are bold, 
impudent, and presuming; others timid and sensitive. 
The former need the authority of the teacher ; the latter 
his encouragement. Some boys have quick minds, and 


9 


learn superficially ; others are slow but persevering. The 
former should be pressed to their utmost capacity; the 
feelings of the latter should never be mortified by reflec¬ 
tions upon those deficiencies which they cannot help. 

8. The teacher should possess an enthusiastic love for 
his profession. Love makes all labor light, and as there 
is no more laborious profession than that of teaching, so 
there is none which needs, in a greater degree, the help 
which fondness for it produces. This love for his profes¬ 
sion should not only exist in the breast of the teacher, 
but should be exhibited in his daily instructions. How 
can an interest for the acquisition of knowledge be 
awakened and kept up, by the dull and drawling tone in 
which many teachers conduct their daily examinations ? 
Let the pupil see, by the sprightly and enthusiastic 
manner of the teacher, that he is in earnest in his work, 
and his own faculties will be aroused, his lessons will be 
recited with interest, and progress must ensue. 

9. The teacher must he punctual and systematic in all 
his engagements with his school. One of the main bene¬ 
fits secured by the system of discipline which will be here 
recommended, is the formation of habits of punctuality 
and system in all duties. The teacher’s neglect will 
neutralize all the good influence of the best system that 
could be devised. And this suggests 

10th, and finally, That example is the great teacher. 
The pupil notices every movement and expression of the 
teacher, and takes them as his model. His example 
excuses every neglect, and justifies every fault. When 
teachers shall be duly impressed with the influence of 
their own example in fashioning the minds, manners, and 
morals of those under their charge, a great step will have 


10 


been taken in securing a well-bred, intelligent, and moral 
rising generation. 


II. Intellectual Qualifications of a Teacher. 

The intellectual qualifications of a teacher may he 
summed up hy saying that he should he thoroughly ac¬ 
quainted with whatever he professes to teach. It is better 
to teach a limited course well, than an extended one 
superficially. If the pupil want confidence in the know¬ 
ledge of his teacher, but little benefit will result from his 
instruction. The teacher, therefore, must be a learner 
himself. More is expected than merely to master the 
lessons of the day. He should be prepared by illustrations 
to awaken interest in those subjects which are abstruse, 
and be able to vary the explanations of difficulties to suit 
the different minds he may have to teach. Let the 
teacher’s qualifications, however, be what they may, he 
should never go to the class-room without having pre¬ 
viously reviewed the lessons of the day. Familiarity with 
a lesson facilitates instruction, and becomes indispensable 
to a person who would conduct his class examinations 
without the use of the text-book. 


III. Course of Instruction. 

The circumstances and destination of the different 
pupils must control, in so great a degree, the course of 
instruction, that little need be said on this head. And, 


after all, it matters not so much what subjects are taught 
as how they are taught. Let it be distinctly understood, 
however, that no pupil is to proceed to higher branches, 
until he has thoroughly mastered the elements of an 
English education. Such elementary knowledge may be 
embraced in the following particulars : 

1. He must be able to read aloud from any English 
book, fluently and intelligently. 

2. He must be able to write legibly and neatly, and to 
express himself with ease and correctness in conversation 
and in letters of business or friendship. 

3. He must understand thoroughly the fundamental 
operations of arithmetic, and be able to apply the rules 
promptly and correctly to such questions as ordinarily 
arise in the course of business. 

4. He must be able to point out readily the location of 
such important places, of which he is likely to read in 
the newspapers of the day, &c. 

5. He must be moderately versed in the history of his 
own country and the fundamental principles of its govern¬ 
ment and legislation.* 

The above elementary knowledge is the key to all 
other, and to go into higher branches, until this is attained, 
is to depart from the natural order of things, and to con¬ 
tinue an evil, which, of all others in the system of educa¬ 
tion, stands most in need of reformation. Of the propriety 
of advancement to higher studies, the teacher alone must 
be the judge. This direction militates against existing 
practices, by which the parent, in many instances, directs 
when, and to what extent, the pupil shall be advanced. 


* The School and The Schoolmaster. 



12 


The feelings of the parent must yield on a point which 
is clearly within the province of a teacher’s duty. If 
the teacher be not qualified to judge here, he is not 
competent to teach. 


IV. Method of Instruction. 

So much of success in instruction depends upon the 
mode in which it is conveyed, that it becomes necessary 
to be more particular in defining the duties of teachers 
on this point. Now, the object of instruction is two-fold; 
1st, to awaken and develope the powers of the mind; 
2dly, to communicate knowledge. If the knowledge be 
properly communicated, the faculties of the mind must 
be awakened and strengthened; and conversely, a system 
of instruction which developes the faculties will be instru¬ 
mental in imparting knowledge. The two objects, there¬ 
fore, are inseparable. The fundamental error in practice 
is, that pupils are made to absorb a certain amount of 
book knowledge, without an effort to think for themselves. 
As automata, they answer the stereotyped questions of 
the text book: but present them in a different form; 
require an application of a rule out of the prescribed 
order; or question, for a moment, the accuracy of the 
text; the book’s authority is appealed to as supreme and 
infallible. 

A knowledge of facts and an acquaintance with rules 
are important; but how much more important, while not 
neglecting these, to have respect to that system of instruc¬ 
tion which will bring into action all the powers of the 
mind. 


13 


To secure, therefore, the two-fold objects of instruction, 
with this view of the relative importance of each, atten¬ 
tion is directed to the following particulars. 

1. Let the class examinations he conducted, when pos¬ 
sible, without the text-hook, and viva voce. 

If the teacher confine himself to his text, the pupil’s mind 
will never get beyond it. If he keep his eye following ques¬ 
tion after question, he can neither examine his class with 
animation, nor impart to the recitation the interest which 
it is one of the essential points of instruction to give. 
The teacher should watch the countenance of his pupil, 
that, seeing the progressive developments of the mind, 
he may know when to give assistance, and when to with¬ 
hold it. This habit gives a reality to the examination, 
and tends more than any other means to prevent the 
mischievous practice of book recitation. The teacher, 
having first carefully prepared himself upon the lessons 
of the day, knows to what point attention is to be 
directed, and multiplies the questions to suit the difficulty 
or importance of the subject. If these views be correct, 
it will at once appear that no practice can be more 
prejudicial than using books with printed questions. 
Such books encourage laziness in the teacher, and op¬ 
pose that development of the pupil’s mind which results 
from the efforts to discover for himself the meaning 
of the author. 

2. Use the blackboard freely. 

There are many advantages resulting from the judi¬ 
cious use of the blackboard. The habit of demon¬ 
strating from the blackboard is an improving exercise 


14 


to the person examined. It gives him self-confidence, 
by habituating him to explain to others what he knows 
himself. It is improving to the class, for it is equivalent 
to so many reviews of the lesson, with the addition of 
the teacher’s illustrations. The use of the blackboard 
should not be confined to the demonstration of principles 
only. There is no better exercise in Grammar than to 
require the members of a class to write on the board 
the parts of speech with their inflections, or exercises 
in Syntax. It is to this habit alone that we can attri¬ 
bute the accuracy with which deaf mutes write; and if 
it were universally practised, errors in spelling, which 
are so commonly made by educated men, would rarely 
be met with. In Geography, the pupil should be taught 
to draw first the skeleton of the maps, and then to fill 
them up, from time to time, as he progresses. 

A class being called up for examination, is seated 
directly in front of the teacher’s desk. After sending 
as many to the blackboard as can be conveniently ac¬ 
commodated, let the teacher call upon any member, who 
should immediately stand up. The questions should be 
put in perspicuous language, and with a spirited manner. 
A prompt and distinct answer should be required. If 
the pupil fail or hesitate, pass rapidly to the next, or to 
the next, until the question is correctly answered. If 
the question involve a difficulty which is not understood, 
vary its form, or progressively aid the pupil’s effort by 
leading questions. The object is to teach principles as 
well as facts ; to awaken the intellect of every individual 
scholar, as well as to ascertain that he knows what is in 
the book. Hence promptness and vivacity should be 
insisted on. When a member at the blackboard is ready, 


15 


let him face the teacher ; and, in an audible tone and 
distinct manner, announce what he is required to do. 
And here caution is needed. The recitation from the 
blackboard may be made without the intellect being 
at work. Hence the teacher should rigidly catechize 
the pupil as he proceeds, to ascertain if he fully under¬ 
stands what he has been doing. He may occasionally 
appeal to those at their seats whether the operation be 
correct, and thus the exercise of any one may be extended 
to the entire class. If the examination thus briefly 
described be faithfully conducted, the class ought not 
to be kept upon the floor more than thirty minutes. 
After the teacher has finished his examination of a class, 
much benefit may result from allowing the pupils to 
question each other. Difficulties occur to them which 
are sometimes overlooked by the teacher ; and, if this 
privilege be allowed, and especially if it be accompanied 
with the right of “trapping,” or exchanging places, the 
lessons will be more accurately studied, and a much 
greater interest will be given to the recitations; and 
this makes it necessary 

3. To divide the classes into small sections. 

Besides avoiding the fatigue to the class as above 
mentioned, this arrangement enables the teacher to bring 
together in the same section those who are equally 
advanced. 

4. The members of each class should be arranged in the 
order of merit at periodical examinations. 

Many object to the emulation which this plan produces. 
But what are the motives which may be used to promote 


16 


progress in studies ? They are, 1st, a fear of pain ; 2dly, 
a fear of shame ; 3dly, emulation ; 4thly, love of appro¬ 
bation of parents and teachers; 5thly, love of acquiring 
knowledge. 

Now corporal punishment is one of the most danger¬ 
ous means of enforcing discipline at any time. It should 
rarely be used by the teacher. But the objections to 
its use are heightened when it is made an instrument 
in inciting to industry in studies. It may be necessary 
to retain the authority to meet cases which resist every 
other influence, but it should be used with great caution. 
Fear of shame is a degrading motive, and no person 
should be encouraged as a teacher who would make 
use of ridicule as a means of enforcing discipline. There 
is a sense in which emulation encourages the worst 
passions of the human breast, and there is also a sense 
in which it may not only be properly appealed to, but 
in the exercise of which, the motives from love of appro¬ 
bation and for acquisition of knowledge are themselves 
brought into exercise. If a boy be emulous for the 
mere sake of surpassing others, he encourages a principle 
which may also bring into exercise envy, jealousy, and 
other evil passions. But progress in study may be pro¬ 
moted by keeping constantly before the pupil’s mind 
what others, in the same or less favored circumstances, 
have accomplished. Boys are often intimidated by the 
difficulties with which they have to contend, and their 
ignorance heightens these difficulties. Ardent as may 
be their desire for acquiring knowledge, or anxious as 
they may be to obtain the approbation of their friends, 
they are not unfrequently discouraged by the slowness 
of their progress. Here the teacher may appeal to the 


17 


achievements of others, and many has been the successful 
effort which has resulted from this desire to equal or to 
excel those who have before encountered similar diffi¬ 
culties. Nor is this motive less efficient when it is 
brought to bear upon members of the same class. If 
excelling in a study be a cause of gratification to a parent 
or teacher, or to one’s self, how legitimate the motive to 
make all solicitous to communicate or to possess a simi¬ 
lar gratification ? The truth is, that the effect of emu¬ 
lation will be beneficial or the reverse, according to the 
manner in which it is used by the teacher. If he use 
it to stimulate to the attainment of the highest excellence , 
from the consideration of the gratification which will result 
to parents and friends, or of the increased opportunity 
which it will afford to usefulness in after life, he appeals to 
a motive in every way praiseworthy, and in an eminent 
degree efficacious; and it is in this way that class emu¬ 
lation may be made one of the most powerful as well as 
appropriate instruments for the conduct of a public 
school. Let the teacher form a numerical standard for 
every recitation, and mark each pupil according to his 
knowledge and preparation. Let an abstract from these 
daily marks be recorded in a “ merit” book at the end 
of every week, for reference; the grand total for the 
session being the relative merit of each pupil in the 
particular branch studied. Here is a simple and practical 
scale by which the progress of the scholars may be 
measured, and by which parents can judge of the pro¬ 
ficiency of their children. It shows what has been at¬ 
tained by constant attention and laborious effort; and 
what has been lost by occasional neglect or inaptitude. 
It does not give the award of excellence to a single effort, 

2 


18 


but to a series of continued and successful efforts; and 
shows one principle in prominent relief, that success is 
oftener attained by the boy of moderate intellect, who has 
exercised patient, laborious, and persevering industry , 
than by the intellectually gifted. Prizes, certificates of 
proficiency, or other rewards, may be conferred upon 
those who have distinguished themselves during the ses¬ 
sion. They should not be lavishly bestowed, else they 
will lose their value; but they should be considered at 
all times as given on account of excellence in the depart¬ 
ment in which the competition exists. Incorrigibly idle 
pupils should not be allowed to remain in a school. 
Progress in studies should be made an indispensable con¬ 
dition to continuance. If the teacher be faithful, defi¬ 
ciency cannot exist, except from want of capacity or 
idleness. Cases of the first kind are rare ; and, when they 
occur, they may be made exceptions to the rule. But 
an idle boy, besides wasting his own time and the means 
of his parents, is a bad example, and no bad example 
should be permitted to remain in a school. 

5. Enlist as much as possible the interest and co-opera¬ 
tion of parents . 

This is essential to the well-being of a school. Parents 
should be invited and urged to attend the school fre¬ 
quently in hours of recitation, and to take a part in the 
examinations. The writing books, compositions, and 
other exercises, should be occasionally sent to them for ex¬ 
amination and criticism. Full reports, stating the progress 
and habits of industry of each pupil, should be regularly 
communicated to parents; and the teacher should en¬ 
deavor, in every way, to awaken and keep up their 


19 


interest, for it is from the want of supervision on the part 
of parents that so many schools are inefficient. 

6. Public examinations should be held at stated periods. 

Besides the benefit which results from a careful review 
of the studies of the term, public examinations add a 
stimulating interest to the exercises of the school, by 
affording opportunities for distinction to the industrious. 
It is at such times especially that parents should give 
the influence of their presence; and, when possible, take 
an active part in the examinations. The teacher should 
himself first examine his scholars, for in no other way 
can full justice be done to them. He may afterwards 
call upon others to participate, the previous examination 
having given the scholars self-confidence, and, at the 
same time, indicated the mode and extent of their in¬ 
struction. 


V. Discipline. 

What are the objects designed to be secured in the 
discipline of a school ? And what is the best system 
for this purpose? These are important questions, and 
have given rise to various theories, according to the 
views of the different persons who have written on the 
subject. Some have maintained that the rules of a school 
should be few in number and simple in their character, 
and these rigidly enforced, as involving offences of a 
grave nature. Others have objected to formal rules 
altogether, and have argued that schools should be 
governed either by the code of honor or by means purely 
moral. 


20 


Now boys have evil passions which it should be the 
object of discipline to restrain; they have careless, idle, 
and procrastinating habits, which discipline should cor¬ 
rect ; and they have noble qualities which discipline 
should properly cultivate and direct. Much may be 
accomplished by “moral” means. The pride and honor 
■of a youth may often be appealed to with effect. But 
more is wanting. A system of discipline is required, 
which, without neglecting these, shall meet the number¬ 
less cases of irregularity which do not in themselves 
involve a departure from moral principle, but the control 
of which is important to the well-being and progress of 
the student. Small offences should be noticed and 
checked, lest they grow into larger ones; and prompt¬ 
ness, attention, and system, in the discharge of all duties, 
should be cultivated, as habits, the importance of which 
will be felt in the active business of life. This discipline 
should admit of being carried into effect without exciting 
the angry passions of teacher or pupil; and here it may 
be well to relate a fact which came under the writer’s 
own observation. A meritorious principal of a large 
grammar and boarding school called upon him, for the pur¬ 
pose of asking his advice as to the best mode of securing 
attention on the part of his pupils to the minor duties 
of the school. His scholars were oftentimes late at the 
usual morning prayers, occasionally they were absent, 
and he had talked with them and scolded them, deprived 
them of privileges, and resorted to other means of the 
same nature, until he had been brought into such a 
worried and feverish state, that the morning devotions 
were not only unprofitable to him, but the annoyance 
would sometimes accompany him through all the duties 
of the day. 


21 


The system here presented was explained and recom¬ 
mended to him. He adopted it, and the experience of 
five years has convinced him, that, while perfectly effi¬ 
cient as a remedy for the evils of which he explained, 
his labors as an instructor have been immeasurably 
diminished. Others, who have adopted the same system, 
have found the same result. 

With this view of the object and effect of school 
discipline, it is recommended, 

1. To define particularly every duty, and to punish 
by demerit marks, corresponding with the criminality 
of each offence, every violation of the rules, or neglect 
of the duties of the school. 

The following outline will show how these rules mar 
be defined, and what penalties should be attached to 
each offence. 


Offences. Demerit. 

Profane language.10 

. Lying.10 

Irreverence in religious exercises - 10 to 5 

Fighting or quarrelling - - - 8 to 5 

Ungentlemanly or unladylike conduct - 8 

Neglect of lessons or other duties - - 5 

Want of preparation in lessons - 5 to 1 

Neglect of personal neatness - - 5 to 1 

Talking in school.3 

Loud do..5 

Abuse of school-room or furniture - 5 

Abuse of class books .... 3 

Late in attendance on any duty - - 1 


These rules and the corresponding demerit may be 
varied to suit the circumstances of the school. 


22 


The teacher should furnish himself with a ledger, and 
open an account with every pupil. Whenever he notices 
any violation of the rules, he should note the offence, 
with the date, in a small book to be kept for the purpose. 
On every Friday afternoon, he should, in full school, 
read out the offences of the preceding week, and require 
those who have sufficient excuses for their reports, to 
present them in writing on the following Monday. He 
should then carefully examine the excuses, and enter 
the reports not removed, with the penalty attached to 
each, in the ledger. No verbal communication should 
take place between the teacher and the pupil in refer¬ 
ence to any report for a delinquency, except by way 
of explanation, and this should always be asked and given 
in the most courteous terms. Written excuses are re¬ 
quired to avoid disputation, and they become in practice 
an excellent exercise in composition. The Report Book 
should be open to the inspection and examination of 
parents and pupils. 

2. When the total amount of demerit of any scholar 
exceeds 75 in one quarter, he should he immediately 
dismissed from the school. 

This rule does not make it necessary to retain a 
vicious boy until he gets 75 demerit. No boy of bad 
habits, or who has been detected in a wilful act of moral 
delinquency, should be allowed to remain in a school. 
The position cannot, with safety, be held, that the hope 
and promise of amendment are sufficient reasons for 
withholding discipline. The question involved does not 
affect the individual delinquent alone. Example is an 
all-powerful principle" with the young, and when the 
continuance of a bad boy in a school may be the means 


23 


of communicating vicious principles or habits to others, 
the teacher who allows it is working an injury which 
cannot be compensated for by the probable benefit anti¬ 
cipated. One of the most celebrated teachers* of the 
present day has said on this subject, “ till a man learns 
that the first, second, and third duty of a schoolmaster 
is to get rid of unpromising subjects, a great public 
school will never be what it might be, and what it ought 
to be” 

It is also true, in general, that, when a scholar, with 
the perfect knowledge of the effect of his demerit, is so 
irregular or disorderly as to exceed 75 demerit in a 
quarter, he possesses habits which will make his con¬ 
tinuance in the school not only injurious to others but 
unprofitable to himself. When the teacher observes the 
demerit of a boy fearfully increasing, his duty is to talk 
with him privately, admonish him as to the consequences; 
if this will not check him, let him bring into exercise 
the co-operation of the parent; and if all these influ¬ 
ences fail, he has what Dr. Arnold would call an “un¬ 
promising subject,” and “ his first, second, and third 
duty” is to get rid of him at once. 

3. The conduct of each pupil should be combined 
with his scholarship in forming the general merit. 

The system of demerit here proposed will lose most 
of its efficacy, unless the class standing of the pupil is 
to be influenced by his conduct. Experience has shown 
that this consideration will operate upon boys, who, 
without it, would only aim to avoid exceeding the limit 
of deficiency in conduct. Many an instance has come 


* Dr. Arnold, of Rugby School, England. 



24 


under the writer’s own observation, in which the delin¬ 
quent would plead with an earnestness which would 
show his willingness to undergo any punishment, as a 
substitute for the demerit which might lower him a file 
in his class. And this combination of conduct with 
scholarship is the correct mode of ascertaining the 
general merit of a scholar. What is it which secures 
distinction in after life? It is not intellect alone, but 
the union of this with attentive, industrious, and methodi¬ 
cal habits. Indeed, how often do we see success attend 
an inferiority of natural powers, where they have been 
honestly and zealously cultivated! 

This combination of conduct with scholarship may 
be made as follows. The general merit of a class has 
to be arranged for the following subjects, Arithmetic , 
Grammar , Geography , Writing, and Conduct. Suppose 
the maximum mark for these subjects to be, for Arith¬ 
metic 300, Grammar 300, Geography 300, Writing 100, 
Conduct 300. A boy, A. B., who stands No. 1 in all 
these studies, and who has no demerit, receives the 
following marks:— 


Names. Arithmetic. Grammar. Geography. Writing. Conduct. Total. 

A. B. 300 300 300 100 300 1200 

C. D. 300 300 300 100 290 1190 

While a boy, C. D., who also stands No. 1 in the same 
studies, but who has 20 demerit, would receive but 290 
in Conduct, by making every 10 demerit remove 5 from 
the maximum in conduct. The general merit of A. B. 
is denoted by the total 1200, while that of C. D. is 1190. 
By this table we see that A. B. might have stood below 


25 


C. D. in all the studies, receiving, for example, 299 in 
Arithmetic, 298 in Grammar, 197 in Geography, and 99 
in Writing, and yet been No. 1 in general merit, if he 
received 300 in Conduct, and C. D. receives but 290 
in Conduct. A. B.’s total in this case would be 1193, 
while that of C. D. would be only 1190. It is impossible 
to estimate the beneficial effects of a system, which thus 
keeps constantly before the boy of moderate natural gifts 
the encouragement to exertion which is based upon per¬ 
severing industry and good behavior. 

The relative importance of the subjects and the effect 
of demerit must depend upon circumstances. As a 
general rule, a boy should be regarded as deficient in a 
study, when his mark in it is less than five-sixths the 
maximum for the subject. Hence 250 in a subject count¬ 
ing 300, 166j in a subject counting 200, and 83^ in 
one counting 100, would be the minimum marks for 
passing an examination. A fair valuation is given to 
conduct by making every demerit mark take .5 from 
the maximum in conduct. A boy having 200 demerit 
would thus lose 100, and receive but 200 as his conduct 
mark, this number being the minimum for conduct. 

The system of discipline here recommended may be 
readily and most effectively applied in boarding schools. 
It will be proper in such cases to prescribe the order 
in which the room furniture shall be arranged; to require 
the room to be at all times in a proper police; to inter¬ 
dict all irregular or disorderly conduct therein, each 
occupant being held responsible by a week’s service as 
orderly in rotation, for its order and cleanliness ; to 
define hours for study and recreation, as well as other 
details of duties properly belonging to boarding schools. 


26 


This system is equally applicable to female as male 
schools, and has produced the same general good effects 
in both, wherever it has been applied. 

The system of instruction and discipline which has 
just been explained is borrowed from that which gene¬ 
rally exists in military institutions, but which is not 
necessarily limited in its application to them. It pos¬ 
sesses many decided advantages over those which com¬ 
monly prevail, not only in its restraining influence over 
the vicious tendencies of the young, but in directing the 
energies of the mind more fully and more universally 
to the attainment of knowledge. While other systems 
operate very well for the virtuous and the industrious, 
and, in fact, control, by the force of extreme punishment, 
those who are grossly negligent and vicious, this supplies 
an important defect, by taking cognisance of a numerous 
class of minor offences which are not ordinarily noticed, 
so long as the pupil demeans himself with moderate pro¬ 
priety and attention. 

To secure this important object, the school regulations 
must necessarily be very minute. Besides prescribing 
specific punishments for the more heinous moral offences, 
they must define, with great precision, a routine of minor 
details, and interdict a long list of minor offences; so that 
the inquiry naturally arises, Why descend into such 
particulars ? why notice such trifling faults ? The answer 
to these inquiries will show that such a system of disci¬ 
pline is designed and is well calculated to exert an im¬ 
mense moral influence, in after life, upon those who are 
the subjects of it. 

Those who are trained to discharge minor duties faith¬ 
fully and punctually find it easier to undertake and master 


27 


weightier ones. Men become eminent in knowledge by 
taking heed to little things. The ladder of fame is only 
ascended step by step . On the other hand, those who 
know that small offences cannot be committed with im¬ 
punity, regard those of a more aggravated character with 
more seriousness. When a man allows himself in little 
things, they soon accumulate into great. He allows 
himself in little things, and thus forms a strong habit. 
Because it is little, he counts it of no moment, forgetting 
that men do not become infamous at once. The drunkard, 
the swindler, the outlaw, have only reached their depth 
of folly and of crime by degrees. The discipline, there¬ 
fore, which teaches a youth to have respect to little 
things and fixes this principle as a habit, by inculcating 
that no duty is too trifling to be neglected, and no offence 
too light to be overlooked, will do more to qualify him 
for the active duties of life than anything else. Method, 
promptness, and fidelity, are the great leading qualities 
which constitute the business mail. The discipline which 
induces these must be good. 

There is great difficulty in little things. Men who 
can set themselves right earnestly to work to accom¬ 
plish great matters, are often at fault in those which are 
trivial; and yet all business men will say that it is by 
taking heed to these little things that security can be had, 
that the weightier ones will not be neglected, and he who 
has obtained the mastery over himself to meet and dis¬ 
charge the smallest duty, has done much to qualify him¬ 
self for the greatest. 

If, in the consideration of the duties of this life, we 
include that higher sphere of duty and of action which 
embraces the life to come, how forcibly does this prin- 


28 


ciple of taking heed to little things apply! Go to the 
Minister in Holy things, and he will say that men become 
eminent in piety by forsaking little sins, by taking heed 
to little things. It is this overlooking little things which 
constitutes the stumbling-block to many who have their 
faces Zionward. Too many cling to some Zoar and ask, 
“ Is it not a little one ?” while others seek the Arbana and 
Pharpar to the neglect of the simple teachings of divine 
truth. 


VI. Religious Education. 

It would transcend the limits contemplated in this brief 
outline, to enter upon a full development of the duty of 
teachers in the moral and religious training of the young. 
Nor is it necessary to do so. This subject has been so 
well discussed by those who are in every way competent 
to the task, that all necessary information may be ob¬ 
tained by a reference to the various existing works on 
religious education. Suffice it to say, that the object 
of all education, if limited to this life only, is to make 
men happy in themselves and useful to others; and it 
may be assumed as an indisputable point, that we shall 
most surely secure these ends by laying deep in the youth¬ 
ful mind the principles and precepts of the Christian reli¬ 
gion. But the great end of education is a preparation 
for another state of existence, and here the teacher’s 
voice should give “no uncertain sound.” Parents want 
Christian teachers, that they may be sure their children 
receive a pure morality. They want Christian teachers, 
because they know that “the fear of the Lord is the 
beginning of wisdom.” Who can read the closing para- 


29 


graph of the will of Patrick Henry, without acknowledg¬ 
ing the truth of the eloquent sentiment it expresses, and 
without respect for the high authority from which it 
comes ? “I have now disposed of all my property to my 
family: there is one thing more I wish I could give them, 
and that is, the Christian Religion. If they had this, 
and I had not given them one shilling, they would be 
rich ; and if they had not that, and I had given them 
all the world, they would be poor.” 

If the teacher be a professing Christian, let him not 
withhold his influence in the important sphere of useful¬ 
ness which a school opens to him. How often may a 
word “fitly spoken” make a lodgment in the youthful 
mind, which shall bring forth fruit in maturer years! 

The teacher who is not a professor of religion, but 
who recognises its truth, should not be ashamed to 
acknowledge it, and thus do all that he can in favor of 
that which he would not oppose. 

The avowed opposer of the Christian religion is unfit 
for the trust of a public teacher. 

How far religious instruction shall go must depend 
upon the circumstances of the school itself. As a general 
rule, all teachers should, when practicable, open and 
close their schools by reading a chapter, or part of a 
chapter, in the Bible. This may be done even by those 
who do not profess religion; for surely such persons 
read the Bible themselves in private, and it is only urged 
that they shall give to their pupils the benefits which 
result from the daily reading of the word of God, and 
the influence which the teacher’s public recognition of 
its value will produce. 


30 


VII. Physical Education. 

Too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance 
of attention to a proper development of the physical 
constitution of the young. Ill health has so often resulted 
from uncomfortable seats, from badly warmed and imper¬ 
fectly ventilated school-rooms, that teachers should avail 
themselves of all the helps which experience has given 
to this important part of education. Reference may be 
had to Barnard’s School Architecture for many useful 
hints upon this subject. Free exercise in the open air 
should be encouraged by all the various gymnastic exer¬ 
cises which have been recommended. The graduates 
of the Virginia Military Institute should by all means 
apply their military knowledge in training their pupils 
in the school of the soldier. Besides the benefit resulting 
from the exercise which the drill affords, it secures, as 
they well know, a full development of the chest, by the 
habit which is formed of walking at all times with an 
erect gait. 


APPENDIX. 


Forms of Excuses for Reports. 
No. 1. 


Report. —A. B. absent from school on the 1st May. 
Excuse .—Detained at home on account of sickness, 
as per accompanying statement of my father. 

Respectfully submitted. 

A. B. 


To X. Y. 


The above excuse is sustained and the report removed. 

X. Y., Teacher. 


No. 2. 


Report. —C. D. failing to put his books in their pro¬ 
per place after use. 

Excuse .—I forgot it. Respectfully submitted. 

C. D. 


To X. Y. 


The above excuse is insufficient. Forgetfulness in 
the discharge of duties might result in serious conse¬ 
quences, and, therefore, ought to be prevented. The 
report will stand, and be charged 2 demerit. 

X. Y., Teacher. 

\ 


32 


0 019 059 600 A 


No. 3. 


Report. —E. F. Want of preparation in Geography. 
Excuse .—One of the boys hid my Geography and I 
could not get my lesson. 

Respectfully submitted. 

E. F. 


To X. Y. 


The above excuse is not sustained. It is the duty of 
every one to take good care of his books; while a know¬ 
ledge of the fact that a schoolmate will be punished 
should prevent every one of honorable feelings from 
practising such mischievous tricks. 

X. Y., Teacher. 


1 


Report Book. 


A. B. 


1849. 



Jany. 5 

Talking in school 

3 

“ 10 

Neglect of studies 

5 

“ 11 

Late at school 

i 

“ 20 

Neglect of person 

5 

“ 31 

Prompting 

5 

Feb. 1 

Absence from geography 

3 

“ 20 

Careless use of copybook 

2 

“ 28 

Absent from school-room longer 

Q 


than 15 minutes 

O 

Mar. 10 

Idleness in school 

5 

“ 15 

Abuse of school-book 

1 

“ 29 

Profane language 

10 


Total demerit for Qr. 

43 


Conduct mark 300—21.5=278.5. 









